


Fluff Bingo

by inkspottedandbrokenhearted



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Accidental Kiss, FWB, Fluff, Fluff Bingo, Friends With Benefits, Goofy - Freeform, Love, M/M, Make Me, Silly Boys, Soulmates, Soulmates AU, Truth or Dare, awake in the middle of the night, come overe here and make me, don't ever do that again, it's going to be tooth rotting, just fluff after fluff, kiss, prompts, seriously, slight angst, soul marks, very tiny
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-08
Updated: 2018-12-26
Packaged: 2019-08-20 19:35:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 14,205
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16561964
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inkspottedandbrokenhearted/pseuds/inkspottedandbrokenhearted
Summary: So I've decided to participate in Fluff Bingo because I always love some good, teeth-rotting fluff for my boys!25 prompts are up and available for this on my tumblr if you want a say in what's to come!





	1. Caught Feelings for FWB

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so, if you would like to request any of the remaining prompts, hit me up on tumblr. My bingo card can be found [here](http://inkspottedandbrokenhearted.tumblr.com/post/179900607264/so-i-keep-seeing-everyone-doing-bad-things-bingo).
> 
>  
> 
> We've got technically 22 prompts remaining as I've already had 2 more of them requested!

It was never supposed to go this far. In fact, it was never supposed to go anywhere at all. His crush on Keith was supposed to stay just that— a crush, hidden in the very depths of his heart, never seeing the light of day. And then, suddenly, accidentally, he’d made a sort of off-hand comment that had struck some sort of chord in Keith and they had gone from rivals, to friends, to friends with benefits.

The entire time they were “together” Lance had felt like his entire being was on fire, lit up with every firm kiss and burned to the ground with every gentle trailing of a hand. If that weren’t enough, he’d rise from the ashes the next day, ready to do it all over again. He felt like the trails of Keith’s kisses and fingertips were permanently burned into his skin— a reminder for him and a sign for everyone else. An indication that he was Keith’s and Keith was his. Oh, how he wished that were true. That wish filled his heart, spreading a hollow sort of ache with every beat.  It wasn’t hard to see how he’d gone from Friends with benefits to _completely and utterly in love with_ Keith, but that still didn’t make it okay

“Hey,” Keith approached him with casual abandon, his entire body at ease. 

That was something Lance had noticed immediately— the way Keith opened up to him. Physically, obviously, but emotionally, too. He was fine to let Lance linger in bed after a casual romp and discuss the day, the expectations put on top of them, or pipe dreams for the future that nobody could guarantee. Lance had tried to reason with himself a million times that this wasn’t love, it was adrenaline-fueled, we-could-die-any-day, life affirming sex, but he knew better. He was forced to finally concede that it was love when he found himself longing for Keith’s company at the end of a good day. He found himself seeking Keith out in the hallways or the training room, reaching for him absently as they sat side-by-side on the bridge. He found his body longing for Keith, but not in a sexual way. He would sit in his room on the nights they weren’t together, imagining Keith splayed out on his bed, hair messy, a laugh bubbling up in his chest. That’s when he knew he was completely done for, a total goner. 

Lance swallowed, glancing out the window to his right. It was nighttime, he thought, but all of space was dark, so it was hard to tell. “Hey.”

“Observation deck tonight?” Keith stepped a little closer to him, sliding a hand around Lance’s waist until it rested on the small of his back. Lance could feel the breath shuddering out of him as Keith gently lifted the edge of Lance’s shirt so he could feel both the fabric of his gloves and the soft tickle of his fingertips. “I’ve got plans for us.”

“Oh?” Lance prompted, trying his absolute hardest to get his thundering heart under control. The observation deck was a unique suggestion and definitely more of a public area than they’d tried yet. “What kind of plans?”

To his surprise, Keith’s cheeks flushed slightly, the pink just barely dusting his pale skin. Lance was immediately seized by the desire to reach up and touch it, to trail his fingers along the skin there and watch Keith’s lips part as he breathed out in wonder. Lance had to clench his fists at his sides to stop himself from doing exactly that. Keith’s gaze burned into him, but it didn’t have the usual bite of unwavering desire. Instead it was replaced with some sort of emotion that Lance couldn’t quite name. His stomach was doing flips and he felt like any moment the world was going to open up and swallow him whole. There was no way he was finding himself like this— in the middle of the hallway, sharing the most intimate moment to date with his friend that he’d fallen hopelessly in love with. There was no way this was taking the turn it seemed to be taking.

“How would you feel about—“ Keith paused, directing his own gaze away. Lance couldn’t deny that his interest was peaked. Keith’s hand was still rubbing gentle circles on the small of his back and Lance realized for the first time just how close they were. Their chests were practically flush with each other. He groaned internally at the realization that he’d gotten used to being this close to Keith. It only meant the heartbreak would hurt more when it came. “— a picnic and star gazing?”

“I would— wait, _what_ did you just say?” Lance’s head was immediately reeling, his heart thundering so fast he was certain it was only moments away from galloping out of his chest and attempting to make a home in Keith’s, nestled up against his heart.

The flush was darker on Keith’s cheeks then, starting to make its way down the back of his neck. His hand stopped on the small of Lance’s back but held firm, pulling him slightly closer. “I understand if you don’t want to, I— I just thought— I was trying to be clear—“

“Keith,” Lance reached up then, unclenching his fist and gently taking Keith’s face in his hand. His heart was in his throat and his stomach was at his feet as he considered what he was about to say. He knew what Keith’s words _sounded_ like, but that didn’t mean anything. He could very easily be about to ruin the best thing he’d ever had— breaking his own heart. “I’m crazy about you. You realize that, right?”

“You are?”

Despite the way he was certain he was going to pass out any moment, Lance laughed at that. “Why do you think I always stay? Or seek you out? Do you _know_ how hard I have to try to keep myself away from you? It’s not just sex to me.”

Suddenly Lance found himself with his back pressed to the cool glass of the window, Keith hovering over him, a smile on his lips. Lance had been privelidged to get to know Keith’s smiles in private over the last few months. Each one was ingrained on his heart, adding to the list of reasons he simply didn’t think he could live without Keith. This smile was different than any of the other’s he’d seen though— smaller, more intimate and radiating total warmth. Lance could feel the heat spreading languidly through him, warming him from the inside out and making everything feel like it was suddenly okay.

“I guess that makes it easier for me then.” Keith said through his smile, leaning in to press a kiss to Lance’s lips. It was gentler than Lance was used to. Tender, almost. 

When they pulled apart, Lance quirked an eyebrow. The proximity to Keith was intoxicating, making him feel giddy. “Makes what easier for you?”

“Wooing you, of course. Convincing you to go for it— the whole thing, you and me.” Somehow there was still a shred of doubt in Keith’s eyes, as if he were worried that Lance might say no. As if he couldn’t see the grin that had taken over Lance’s whole face or feel him vibrating with pure elated energy. “It was never just sex to me. I only suggested it in the beginning because I was desperate to get close to you. I’ve been gone on you for so long, Lance. So long.”

This time it was Lance who leaned in, capturing Keith’s lips in a kiss that could only be described as perfect, flawless, _magnificent_. He felt Keith melt against him, leaning his own weight into the kiss. Lance slipped his hand from Keith’s cheek to the back of his head, threading his fingers into Keith’s hair. He’d done this so many times, but it never felt like this. In the past it felt like a beautiful ache— like his heart slowly ripping apart at the seams. This time, this felt like a door opening, like every possibility was laid out at his feet, just waiting for him to seize them.

“I can’t believe we wasted all this time,” Lance laughed against his lips as they pulled just barely apart, resting their foreheads against each other.

“I don’t know if I’d call sex a waste,” Keith retorted, his own voice filled with joy. “So we’re doing this?”

“The whole thing, you and me,” Lance confirmed, pausing for a moment to see if he were about to wake up from his dream. When all he got was a kiss in response he allowed himself to feel the thrill that came with calling the one and only Keith Kogane _his_ like he’d been after for so long. “And we’ll start tonight with a picnic date on the observation deck.”


	2. "Come over here and make me"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was requested by some friends of mine so I hope you guys like it too! I had a lot of different ways I could've taken it so I hope this one worked out!

It had been a long day, a long week, a long _year_ , really. Keith’s nerves were fried after another long mission in which they were barely able to drag themselves back in one piece. He was exhausted and yet he couldn’t sleep. Instead, he found himself propelled to the kitchen in the middle of the night, seeking something to do. He was surprised to find Lance already sitting in the kitchen, half asleep over a bowl of food goo, when the doors slid open.

“Keith?” Lance blinked up lazily at him. There was a hazy edge to his voice, a sleepy sort of softness, that made Keith go weak inside. 

Keith cleared his throat for a moment, suddenly wide awake. He forced himself to walk into the room and approach the counter, trying not to let his heart race out of control. “Hey,” He said after the silence had stretched on too long, “What’re you doing up?”

Things had been going well between him and Lance recently— better than well. Things had been _great_ between them, they were getting along better than ever. It was really nice but also completely torturous on Keith’s poor heart. It got a little closer to giving out each time Lance smiled at him, or clapped him on the shoulder as he laughed. He got one step closer to the grave every time he heard Lance say his name, or watched Lance run his fingers through his hair. And when Lance shot him finger guns and a wink? That was more like five steps closer to the grave. 

Lance made a sleepy noise, propping his head up into his hand as he stirred his food goo with a spoon. Keith struggled to push away the thoughts of how adorable he looked like this. “Couldn’t sleep.”

Lance’s hair was mussed as if he _had_ been sleeping and then woke up. Similarly, his blue pajamas looked rumpled, with the shirt hanging off one shoulder, revealing more skin than Keith was used to seeing. He forced himself not to stare at it. Lance looked sort of flushed but all it did was make him look like he was glowing. Keith took a breath to steady himself. 

“You sure about that?” He could hear the fondness in his own voice and didn’t feel like attempting to hide it. It was just the two of them, alone together in the middle of the night, and it felt somehow intimate. “You look like you’re on the verge of falling asleep right now.”

The lights in the castle kitchen weren’t bright— Coran explained that they have a night mode which makes them dimmer during the overnight hours— but Lance still shone beneath them. He looked stunning as he raised his head to sneer playfully at Keith, his blue eyes glinting, “Very funny.”

Feeling overwhelmed by the sort of intimate magic that came when alone with someone in the middle of the night, Keith pulled out the stool next to Lance and took a seat on it, dropping his own head into his hand and leveling him with an affectionate look. Lance was looking back at him, his eyes a little more alert than they had been when he first walked in.

He scooped up a spoonful of food goo, bringing it to his mouth and asking, “Why are _you_ still awake?”

“I don’t know,” Keith replied honestly, giving a slight shrug. “Laid in bed for a few hours and just couldn’t fall asleep.”

Lance had eaten the bite of food goo from his spoon and scooped up another. He turned the spoon away from himself, leaning forwards and bringing it towards Keith. “Want some? It always helps me sleep.”

The world froze around them in that moment. It was just Lance, staring at Keith with a brilliant smile and a spoon full of food goo, and Keith, shocked and completely aware of the faint blush tinting his cheeks. Slowly, against his better judgement, he opened his mouth, allowing Lance to slip the spoonful of food goo past his lips. He swallowed the food goo quickly— it was like jello and didn’t really need to be chewed— and tried his best not to flush an unholy shade of red.

Lance was looking back at him, blushing slightly himself as he realized what he’d just done. Still, in a moment of bravery, it seemed, he scooped up another spoonful of the goo and brought it to Keith’s mouth. He was definitely not sleepy anymore, Keith could tell. In fact, a slight laugh bubbled up in his chest and spilled over as Keith took the next bite obligingly. As Lance pulled the spoon away, he could feel some of the goo smearing across his lips.

“You have goo on your lips!” Lance laughed as the spoon clattered back into the bowl. Keith could feel his breath being sucked away at how exuberant Lance was when he laughed like this. He wanted to always be the cause and the recipient of such a laugh. “You gotta wipe it off. It’s just—” he pointed to his own lip, “right here.”

“What if I want it there?” Keith retorted, refusing to wipe it away. He knew it was silly and childish and that he _never_ acted like this. But something about the hour of the night and the way Lance was laughing and leaning towards him, eyes alight with nothing but pure happiness, made him want to do silly things. He would do anything to keep this moment existing forever. 

“Keith!” Lance cried playfully and Keith’s heart soared at the sound of his name on Lance’s tongue. “You have to wipe it off!”

“No!” Keith cried, leaning away from Lance slightly, a smile on his own lips.

“Just wipe it off!” Lance was still laughing to the point that he was breathless. His face was definitely flushed now and the color looked so good on him. 

Keith could feel himself being dragged away in the moment and he didn’t even try to fight it. It felt like his life was a movie scene and he loved it. A moment like this may never happen again, so he was going to milk it for all it was worth, committing every second of it to memory. 

“Why don’t you come over here and make me?” He asked, the words slipping out before he realized he said them. Instantly he froze as the tension in the room tripled. 

Lance paused, his blue eyes settled on Keith. A moment passed between them. One moment turned to two, turned to three. Keith wasn’t sure he was even breathing anymore. He was instantly berating himself for ruining what had been an otherwise perfect moment.

After what felt like the longest pause of Keith’s life, Lance’s lips spread into a confident smile. “Alright, I will.”

Keith watched, frozen, as Lance stood from his stool and took two steps until they were so close they were essentially touching. He didn’t move as Lance raised both of his hands, one going to cradle the back of Keith’s head and the other swiping gently across his top lip. Lance looked down at the green food goo on his finger for a moment before popping it into his mouth and licking it off. 

If Keith had thought he was blushing before, it was nothing compared to how flushed he felt now. He was certain he was red all the way to his toes. His heart was thundering erratically in his chest as if it were trying to break free of his ribs so it could reach for Lance itself. He watched Lance, their gazes locked, as he slowly started to smile again. 

“Oh, I missed some,” Lance feigned innocence, eyeing Keith’s mouth. His smile was more of a cocky grin now but it still suited him perfectly. 

Keith had seen Lance flirt with a lot of people in the time they’d been together in Voltron but he’d never been at the receiving end of it. At least, never at the receiving end of flirting this blatant. As he had always suspected, he really enjoyed it.

With a quiet breath he was able to gain a little of his nerve back, fitting his own grin to his face, matching Lance’s. “Yeah? Well you should do something about that.”

Lance didn’t need to be told twice. He swooped down, first kissing the edge of Keith’s mouth where he assumed the remainder of the food goo was. From there, though, he slid over and captured Keith’s lips in an actual kiss. Keith responded in kind, reaching up to tug Lance closer by the collar of his pajama shirt. Lance laughed softly against Keith’s lips, tilting his head so they fit together better. Keith took the opportunity to slip his tongue into Lance’s mouth, smiling to himself at how he tasted like food goo.

He could feel his heart racing a mile a minute as he slid his fingers into Lance’s hair, marveling at how soft it was. It felt like his insides were flooded with the kind of deep-seated warmth that he would never be able to get rid of, not that he’d ever want to. He could feel the excitement pulsing through his veins with each second that passed, marking this as one of the greatest moments of his life. Every place Lance touched burned with an intensity he couldn’t quite describe. He felt like his entire being was melting in the heat of the moment, leaving him a puddle on the ground. 

If asked, Keith wouldn’t even be able to say when he had started to develop a crush on Lance. It seemed like it had always been there, in the dark corners of his heart, underneath it all. He couldn’t remember a time when he didn’t think Lance was perfect or capable of incredible, life-changing things. He couldn’t remember a time where he didn’t want to be around Lance. And he certainly knew there wouldn’t be a time in the future when he didn’t feel this way about Lance. Especially not after kissing him passionately in the middle of the night, clutching to him like his life depended on it. 

“I think I got it,” Lance said as he finally pulled away. His smile was sweet and his hair was now messy from Keith’s fingers instead. Keith found he liked that look even better, and he felt a heated _zing_ down the length of his spine at the thought.  “But I think I should check again, just to be sure.”

And just like that, he leaned back in for a second kiss. Two turned into three, turned into twenty and Keith was suddenly incredibly thankful for his insomnia. 


	3. This is stupid— I'm in

Keith hadn't asked to be dragged into an intergalactic war. Sure, he'd never felt like he belonged on Earth and going to space was always his plan, but he wanted to explore it leisurely. He wanted to go where he wanted and stay there for however long felt right. He didn't want to pilot a giant lion, almost lose his closest friends and always, always, _always_ be on the lookout for someone who was out to kill him. That was never part of the plan. But, as he quickly learned, life doesn't follow a set plan and you don't have much choice other than to play the cards you've been dealt.

 

Still, from time to time they all let loose a little and tried to enjoy a day off. Well, the others did. It was rare for Keith to participate. But lately he'd been itching to let go and have a little bit of fun.

 

“Anyways,” Lance leaned back in his chair, eyes fixed on Keith. “Since we have today off, I was thinking of pulling a prank.”

 

“On who?” Keith prompted.

 

Lance hummed as he thought, looking off into the distance and eyes going unfocused. “Either Pidge or Shiro. I haven't decided yet.” Before Keith could respond, Lance pressed on, his eyes snapping back to Keith to watch for his reaction. “I'm leaning towards Shiro, though. I kinda want to steal his new floaty arm.”

 

“Seriously?”

 

“It would just be for a laugh!” Lance protested, throwing his hands in the air. “I know Shiro would laugh about it after.”

 

“So, what?” Keith ran a hand through his hair and didn't miss the way Lance's eyes trailed the motion. “You're going to sneak into Shiro's room, grab his new arm and hide it somewhere in the castle?”

 

“Yes!” Lance looked triumphant.”It'll be hilarious to watch him search for it!”

 

“This is stupid,” Keith sighed, but then he smiled. “I'm in.”

 

“Really?” Lance leapt up from his seat and rushed over to Keith, gripping both of his shoulders. His smile was radiant and Keith tried not to notice. “You'll help?”

 

It was against his better judgment, for sure, but the way Lance's eyes lit up made it nearly impossible to say no. “Yeah, I'll distract him and you get the arm.”

 

“Oh, no.” Lance removed a hand from Keith's shoulder and wagged a finger in between them. “No way. That'll blow our cover for sure. You never seek out interaction with people, he'll know something is up. _I_ will distract him and _you_ get the arm.”

 

Keith let out an exasperated sigh, taking a step back and detaching them. “Fine,” He said after a moment. “But I don’t know how either of us could distract him without his arm, though. It kinda, y’know, goes everywhere he does.”

 

A moment passed where Lance seemed to ponder this. “You’re right,” he replied after a few moments. “We’ll get it while he’s napping. Which, if his schedule is still the same—” he glanced as his communicator, the screen lighting up and displaying the time, “—should be right now! Let’s go!”

 

Before Keith had a chance to say anything, Lance was grabbing his arm and dragging him off towards Shiro’s room. They raced down the hallway, Lance nearly jumping out of his skin when they turned the corner and almost smashed head first into Hunk. The poor guy started to say something but Lance rushed out some sort of jumbled apology and dashed off before he had a chance to finish his thought, still dragging Keith behind him.

 

It was interesting, coming back to the Garrison after so many years, that Lance and Keith both still knew their way around like the back of their hands. Lance zigzagged through the hallways with ease, ducking down little alcoves or side hallways whenever anyone else appeared in their way. Keith liked to think he was in good shape but he could feel the breath leaving him as he hustled to keep up with Lance. Still, it was sort of exhilarating. Lance’s hand had slid down from his forearm to his wrist to his hand as they went so now they were running hand-in-hand. There wasn’t much time for Keith to focus on that and think about it as he had to focus on Lance and where he was going but still, there was a distinct warmth against the palm of his hand and he couldn’t deny that he enjoyed it.

 

Finally they skidded to a stop outside of Shiro’s chambers. It took a moment of catching their breath before Lance took his hand back and Keith tried not to think about how he missed it.

 

“Okay,” Lance whispered conspiratorially, leaning closer to Keith than he strictly needed to, “I say we knock on the door first, see if he answers. If not, we go in, grab the arm and run.”

 

“And what are we—” Keith started at full volume but quickly dropped to a whisper when Lance shushed him loudly, pressing a hand over his mouth, “What are we going to say if he does open up?”

 

Lance shrugged casually before spinning around and knocking loudly on Shiro’s door. They waited in silence for a few seconds and then Lance knocked again. After their second bout of silence, Lance turned to shoot Keith a grin before clicking the button next to the door. Keith could see the tension in his shoulders as the door slid open and he watched the moment they relaxed. If he had been looking into Shiro’s room he would’ve seen the man curled up in bed, his arm sitting on the chair next to him. But he wasn’t, he was looking at Lance. That seemed to be the theme of his life, he thought, as Lance hurried into the room with what could only be considered a skip in his step. Keith didn’t fight the smile tugging at his lips.

 

Shiro had explained that he turned off the arm whenever he slept, or else it was essentially like having a night light permanently attached to his shoulder. True to his own words, the shoulder part of the new arm was turned off and the arm itself was sitting off to the side, easy for Lance to grab. Which he did. He scooped it up with a gleeful smile and scurried back out of the room, leaving Keith to shut the door behind him. Shiro made a groggy noise as the doors were closing, stirring in the bed. The doors slid completely shut before Keith had a chance to determine if he had actually woken up or was just moving in his sleep.  Lance leant back against the wall next to the door, breathing out a sigh of relief as he hugged the arm to his chest with one hand and pressed the other over his heart. His face was flushed but his eyes were full of laughter and happiness.

 

“Okay, so,” Lance was saying as he stifled a laugh. “Where do we hide it?”

 

Surprisingly, Keith had an answer to that.  He took off without a word, leaving Lance to scramble off the wall and fall into step next to him. The adrenaline was kicking in and Keith felt giddy. It pumped through him, making him feel the need to dash before he found out if Shiro were actually awake or not. He felt kind of breathless as he glanced back to make sure Lance was right on his tail. They had just turned the corner and headed down the next hallway when they heard a door open and footsteps come into the hall. They hurried, nearly taking off at a sprint again down the hallway. Keith skid around a nearby corner, reaching out to snag Lance as he nearly missed the turn himself. They stumbled, bumping shoulders and brushing arms as they steadied out and continued down the new hallway.

 

After a few more turns, Keith threw on the brakes, halting suddenly and pulling Lance to a stop next to him. They were in front of an old broom closet that hadn’t been used when they were in school so Keith could only assume it was still empty. He’d discovered it back in his younger days by accident— his backpack had gotten caught on the door handle, pulling it open as he passed by— and he’d never made much use of it, but the knowledge was always there in the back of his mind. His heart was thundering erratically in his chest and the urge to laugh bubbled up inside of him. It was so rare for him to do anything like this and he loved the way it felt— new and refreshingly fun.

 

He gripped the door handle and twisted it, yanking it open. As expected, it was empty inside. He turned to say something to Lance but the sound of voices drifting down the hallway distracted him.

 

“Have you seen Lance?” It was Shiro’s voice. Keith immediately snapped his attention to Lance who had a giant grin on his face. A thrill ran down his spine at the knowledge that Shiro was in fact up and after them and suddenly he understood why Lance had wanted to pull a prank in the first place.

 

“Lance?” Another voice repeated. Keith didn’t recognize it so he assumed it belonged to someone who currently attended the Garrison.

 

“Yeah, I woke up from my nap to see him sneaking out of my room with my arm.” Shiro sounded exasperated and Lance let out an absurd giggle, his eyes locking with Keith’s.

 

“Oh, is that what was in his arms? Yeah, he just took off down that hallway. He was with someone else, too.”

 

Without a thought, Keith grabbed Lance by the collar of his shirt and pushed him into the closet, following him in and slamming the door shut behind them. The sound was loud and Keith flinched slightly. If Shiro hadn’t know that they were down here, he sure did now. It was only a matter of time before he trailed his way down the hall and to the door, exposing them. Still, as Keith settled his nerves— as much as he could, anyways— he couldn’t bring himself to regret anything they had done to end up there.

 

The closet wasn’t very big— it barely fit the two of them— and they found themselves pressed basically nose to nose with the metal arm between them. Lance shifted, carefully setting the arm on the ground and leaning it against the corner so that he didn’t need to hold it anymore. It made sense… and it put them so close together that their chests were touching and they were lined up, eye-to-eye. Even in the darkness, Lance’s blue eyes sparkled.

 

Keith took a steadying breath, hoping Lance couldn’t feel his heart racing. He could feel the warmth of Lance’s exhale and the way their breath was mingling between them. He could feel Lance’s hand resting on his shoulder as if he needed it for balance. The air was silent and thick between them as they listened to Shiro’s footsteps approach down the hallway. Keith could hear Lance’s breath become uneven and he glanced at him through the darkness of the closet.

 

Lance was looking back at him, blue eyes bright, biting his lip in what was clearly an attempt to stifle laughter. Shiro was getting closer, Keith could hear his frustrated breathing and heavy footsteps as he marched towards them. With each step that he got closer, Lance lost more control of his laughter. Keith reached up and brushed a hand across Lance’s cheek, trying to settle his nerves and draw his attention. Lance leaned into the touch, reaching a hand up to cover his mouth and halt the laughter. Shiro’s footsteps stopped outside the closet.

 

“You need to shut it,” Keith breathed so quietly he wasn’t even sure Lance could hear it. His words were accompanied by a gesture towards the door, indicating how closer Shiro was. Lance nodded in understanding, pressing his hand more firmly against his mouth.

 

There were a few slits on door, letting the tiniest streams of light in. Keith glanced through them, watching Shiro as he glanced up and down the hallway. Keith knew it wouldn’t be long before he opened the closet— there was nothing else of note in this hallway and that student had pointed him in this direction. Plus, Keith could only assume that he’d heard the door slam shut. All the evidence was stacked against them. There was no way he would just walk by the closet without opening it. The tension thickened in the closet and Keith could feel an anxious tingling in his feeling. Again he felt the urge to laugh, similar to the one Lance was clearly fighting but he refused to give in to it. Each second seemed to take a minute to pass.

 

Outside the door Shiro was muttering something under his breath and rubbing a hand along his chin. Keith glanced back at Lance just in time to see Lance shut his eyes in a final, desperate attempt to prevent the laughter. Keith could feel his heart thundering, could feel the adrenaline pulsing through his veins and the recklessness that came with that sort of a high. Without thinking, he reached up and yanked Lance’s hand away from his mouth. Lance’s eyes popped open as he let out a breathless laugh, definitely loud enough for Shiro to hear. Before Keith could think twice, he reached forward and grabbed the back of Lance’s head, pulling him down into a kiss to stifle the laughter before they got caught.

 

Lance gasped slightly against his mouth but responded, pressing his body across what little distance there was between them until they were flush together. Keith could feel Lance’s shoulders shaking slightly as he laughed against his lips, but it was an endearing feeling. Keith got so lost in the feeling of Lance’s mouth, of his firm chest, of his hands gripping hard against his shoulder blades, that he didn’t immediately hear Shiro opening the door. It wasn’t until the light flooded the room, blinding him, that he realized it.

 

Immediately the two of them jumped apart, though it didn’t put much room between them since the closet was so small. Shiro was still gripping the handle of the door, eyes jumping between the two of them, a knowing smile growing on his lips. Keith glanced away briefly from Shiro to Lance only to see a flush working its way from Lance’s cheeks and down his neck. Keith was relatively certain that he had a matching flush on his face.

 

Shiro cleared his throat, doing nothing to hide the grin on his lips. “What, uh, what’s going on in here?”

 

“Oh, Shiro, hey. Didn’t see you there.” Lance turned and grabbed the arm up off the ground, offering it to Shrio. “We heard you were missing this and went searching for it. Lucky for you we found it.”

 

Shiro took the arm, attaching it to the rest before levelling them with an amused look. “You guys seemed a little busy with something else. Not sure how you found the time to go searching for it.”

 

Lance opened his mouth to stutter out some sort of excuse but nothing came out. Keith also wanted to offer some sort of explanation, but he wasn’t sure what exactly he would say. Luckily for them, Shiro just shot them a knowing smile before turning and heading down the hallway.

 

He got about a third of the way down before pausing and glancing back over his shoulder, “Don’t steal my arm again, got it?”

 

Both boys nodded as he disappeared. Once he was around the corner, Lance dissolved into giggles, falling forward onto Keith and resting his head on Keith’s shoulder. Keith finally gave in to his own laugher, draping an arm loosely around Lance’s shoulders. They stayed that way for a few moments, falling together in their laughter before finally composing themselves.

 

“That was amazing,” Lance finally breathed out.

 

“Yeah,” Keith agreed. “That was fun. All of it…”

 

Lance raised his head off of Keith’s shoulder then, leaning in to press another kiss to his lips. Keith’s head went fuzzy almost immediately, but he closed his eyes and kissed back, letting Lance draw him forward by the belt loops on his pants. They stayed lip locked for a few more moments before finally separating.

 

“I’m glad you joined me for that,” Lance whispered. “And since I know you had fun, I think we should keep going. I already know how I want to prank Pidge.”

 

Any argument Keith could’ve had disappeared the moment Lance leaned back in for yet another kiss.


	4. Accidental Kiss

The music was loud, beating away in Lance's chest like a drum. He loved it; loved the way it felt like a second heartbeat, loved how fuzzy his head felt. He was leaning against the wall of Hunk's basement, red solo cup in hand. His head was thrown back with laughter and Hunk was standing across from him, a flush painting his cheeks the softest shade of pink. Pidge was next to him, sly grin on her face as she watched Lance laugh like her silly pun was the funniest thing he'd ever heard in his life. This was what he needed. Midterms had just ended and it had been hell week to say the least— Lance had taken five midterms in two days and his brain was officially mush. 

 

“This party is going great, Hunk.” Pidge said as she waited for Lance to calm his tipsy self back down. It was true, the basement was filled with nearly fifty people milling about, playing pong and just generally having fun. It was the most successful party they'd had to date.” But I can think of one thing to make it better.” 

 

“You're gonna say truth or dare!” Lance accused, thrusting a finger towards Pidge. 

 

Pidge had been trying to get them to agree to truth or dare since the start of the year and every time Hunk and Lance had refused. Lance wasn't sure what it was exactly, but he knew Pidge had a plan and he did not want to walk right into what was an obviously set trap. “Of course I am.” 

 

Maybe it was the alcohol or maybe it was because midterms had just wrecked them all, but Hunk met Lance's gaze, gave a slight shrug and finally said “I'll play.” 

 

Lance looked back at him for a long moment. When he agreed, it was  _ definitely  _ because of the alcohol. Pidge was one his best friends, though, so he figured it couldn't go  _ too _ wrong. Still, the way Pidge's grin spread all the way across her face made him a little nervous. He lifted his cup to his mouth and took another swig. He'd never liked the taste of beer but at this point he couldn't really taste it anymore. Plus, they called it liquid courage for a reason. 

 

“Finally!” Pidge set her bottle down on the nearby table and clapped her hands together happily. “Okay! Are you guys ready?” 

 

“Is it literally just going to be the three of us?” Hunk asked. 

 

At the same time, Lance rolled his eyes, exclaiming “I don't know what you're up to but this is so suspicious!” 

 

“Fine, fine!” Pidge waved a hand in dismissal, turning away from them briefly to call to another group of people standing nearby. “Hey! You guys wanna play truth or dare? We're just about to start!” 

 

The group rushed over in excitement and Lance could immediately understand why. It was his sister, Veronica, and her group of friends. Lance liked them for the most part, but there was one person is particular he hated. He was constantly asking Veronica why she was friends with Griffin and she insisted that he wasn't that bad once you got to know him but Lance remained unconvinced. 

 

“Can we play, too?” Lance turned to see his RA, Shiro, with his boyfriend, Adam. Technically Lance wasn't supposed to be friends with his RA but Shiro was really cool and laid back and he laughed at all of Lance's jokes. And since the party wasn't in the forms, Lance had thought it would be okay to invite him. 

 

“Of course! The more the merrier!” Pidge stepped closer to Hunk, making room for them to join the circle. 

 

Lance glanced around at their odd group and felt a swell of happiness in his chest. Suddenly he didn't care what was about to happen because he was surrounded by some of his favorite people. He leaned to his right, pressing into his sister, and smiled to himself when she pressed back, dropping her head onto his shoulder. 

 

“Okay, rules! You get to pick truth or dare. If you pick truth and refuse to answer, you are given a dare that you  _ have _ to do. And if you pick dare and refuse, you get truth and  _ have _ to answer that. Everyone cool with that?” There was a murmur in response of agreement.” Okay, Hunk you start us off and then we'll go clockwise.”

 

“Right.” Hunk looked around the circle, taking time to really stare at each person. Lance wasn't sure why, this was Hunk after all. He was going to ask something completely benign and harmless no matter who he chose. “Adam, truth or dare?” 

 

“It's early enough in the game that I can choose Truth without being too lame. So, truth.” Everyone chuckled at his response. 

 

It took a few moments and a long drink on Hunk's part before he asked, “If you had to date anyone in this circle besides Shiro, who would it be?” 

 

Surprised by his boldness, Lance shot Hunk a proud smile. Adam hummed as he thought, looking around the circle himself. Lance sipped at his drink.

 

Finally, Adam answered. “Lance, probably.”

 

“Hell yeah!” Lance cried, throwing a fist in the air in triumph. “I'm a ladies man and a man's man! And everybody man!” Veronica nudged him but everyone laughed. He pointed dramatically at Shiro, “Better watch your back!” 

 

Shiro laughed, taking Adam's hand and threading their fingers together. “Somehow I'm not worried about it. I  _ am _ worried about your ego though, it's getting a little big over there.” 

 

“A  _ little _ big?” Hunk stepped forward so he could see Shiro around Pidge. “Have you met Lance before? It's always been huge!” 

 

“Hey!” Lance cried indignantly. 

 

“Okay, okay, my turn.” Pidge settled everyone down and then pretended to think of who to choose. It was clear that she knew ahead of time by the mischievous look in her eyes. “Lance, truth or dare?” 

 

Lance was distinctly unsurprised to have Pidge pick him and answered with a simple “Truth.” 

 

The smile that Pidge gave him in response indicated that he had just given her exactly the answer she wanted. Not even the alcohol or the slight fogginess in his head could stifle the dread that came with that look. “Who do you have a crush on?” 

 

Suddenly Lance wished nobody else had joined their game. Pidge knew he had a crush on someone, but he'd been adamantly refusing to tell her who. It wasn't that he didn't trust her, it was more that he didn't want to admit it to himself. Still, as soon as she asked her question he got a flash of violet eyes and a dark mullet that he would know anywhere. Immediately his drunk brain moved from that to flushed cheeks and soft looking lips that he'd dreamed about kissing so many times. He'd memorized Keith so well that he could trace the sharp angle of his jaw completely in his mind. Involuntarily, Lance's eyes focused past Pidge's shoulders to where Keith was on the other side of the room, talking to Hunk's crush, Shay. 

 

“I don't—” Lance cleared his throat, hoping to make him voice sound a little steadier as he looked back at Pidge. “I don't have a crush on anyone.” 

 

“If you refuse to answer, you have to do a dare.” Pidge reminded him. 

 

“I'm not refusing! I just answered! The answer is nobody!” Lance swallowed, suddenly feeling too hot. 

 

“Then why are you blushing so much?” Adam asked with a grin. 

 

Shiro chimed in, too. “Seriously, give it up. We all know there's someone.” 

 

“No there isn't!” 

 

“One more chance to tell us or I get to give you a dare!” Pidge warned. 

 

Lance could only imagine what dare Pidge would come up with for him, but somehow it still wasn’t as terrifying as the prospect of admitting his crush on Keith. It wasn’t that the others wouldn’t understand, because literally  _ everyone _ had a crush on Keith. He was just one of the masses, no different than everyone else, pining uselessly over someone he’d never have a chance with. Plus, he and Keith had just become lab partners in chemistry and things were going okay. Lance didn’t want to ruin that by word getting around about his hopeless crush.

 

With a defeated sigh, Lance met Pidge’s gaze. “Give me a dare.”

 

To his surprise, Pidge didn’t look disappointed. He had expected her to be upset at missing her chance but, instead, she looked even more pleased than she had before. It was a moment before Pidge gave her dare that Lance realized that Pidge knew exactly who he had a crush on, she just wanted him to admit it. He felt his world crash around him as she said. “I dare you to give Keith a kiss.”

 

“No, no way, absolutely not.” Lance was shaking his head so fast it made him dizzy. “I will absolutely  _ not _ give Keith a kiss.”

 

“Sorry Lance,” it was Veronica, her hand suddenly clasping his shoulder. “But you agreed to the rules at the beginning. You can’t refuse your dare.”

 

Next to her, Griffin was laughing, practically doubled over on himself. “Kogane is gonna kick the shit out of you, man. “

 

The world was spinning around Lance and it wasn’t the alcohol. He could feel his hands trembling. This couldn’t possibly get any worse. And yet, still, he knew Veronica was right. He  _ had _ agreed to the rules, agreed to do a dare if he didn’t want to answer his truth. Something in the back of his mind was ringing, telling him that  _ this _ was why he’d refused to play this game with Pidge so many times in the past. 

 

“I never said you have to kiss him on the lips,” Pidge amended. “Just that you have to kiss him at all. It can be anywhere.”

 

Lance wanted to die. He wanted to shrivel up into a little ball and disappear from existence forever. Instead, he steeled himself against what he was about to do. Ignoring everyone around him and his thundering heart, Lance chugged the rest of his beer and set the cup down on the table nearby. He took a deep breath and tried to tell himself that this was okay. He could just blame it on Pidge, or on being drunk. He could blame it reasonably on a lot of things other than his crush. Keith was a cool guy, he would understand when Lance explained it away in class on Monday.

 

“I hope you’re happy about this.” He said to Pidge.

 

As he started to march across the room, he heard Pidge laugh, “Oh, I am.”

 

The lights in the basement were low and yet he could see Keith clearly as he approached. He could see the casual ease with which Keith stood, one hand shoved deep in the pocket of his jeans. Lance paused a few steps away, struggling with all of his might to maintain his nerve and just go through with it. He could get revenge on Pidge later. He watched Keith talk to Shay for a moment, trying not to wish he was the one making Keith laugh. Again his focus drifted down to Keith’s lips. He thought about being bold and kissing him square on the mouth, but he knew he’d never have the guts to do it, no matter how badly he wanted to. Instead he was going to go for a simple peck on the cheek and then retreat to the other side of the room as fast as he possibly could. 

 

Before he could chicken out, Lance took a deep breath and started moving again. He approached Keith as quick as he could, heart thundering in his chest so loudly it was all he could hear. He was three steps away from Keith. Two. One.

 

“Hey Lance!” Shay said as he leaned in to plant the kiss on Keith’s cheek. He figured no preamble was better. He didn’t want to stand here and stutter out an explanation for  _ why _ he was kissing Keith on the cheek, he just wanted it to be done. He also didn’t want to give Keith the chance to send him away because he knew deep down that Pidge wouldn’t accept that and he’d have to try again which would be mortifying. 

 

Except, maybe a preamble would have been better. Because Keith turned to look at Lance as Shay greeted him, right as Lance was leaning in to kiss his cheek. He turned all the way around just at the right moment and suddenly Lance was no longer giving Keith a peck on the cheek but instead was kissing him full on the mouth. The world came to a screeching halt around Lance and the moment of their kiss seemed to stretch on and on and on and on for eternity. 

 

After what felt like  _ years _ or maybe even  _ centuries _ , Lance pulled back from Keith. 

 

“What… the hell?” Keith was looking at him, lips parted in wonder. 

 

Lance tried not to reach up and touch his own lips. Tried not to think about what it had felt like to have Keith’s lips under him. He  _ definitely _ tried not to acknowledge the fact that Keith tasted like some fruity alcohol drink. Lance had never liked those but  _ damn _ it was immediately his new favorite flavor. He wanted to taste it again, and again, and five hundred more times after that. He took a steadying breath, trying to focus on Keith and the question he’d asked and not on the way his lips were tilting up at the corner in a slight smirk. 

 

“I, uh,” Lance shook his head, snapping his attention back up to Keith’s eyes. Not that it was significantly better, because Keith’s eyes were gorgeous and enchanting. “I was dared to kiss you. I was planning on just a cheek kiss but, uh, well… that didn’t happen.”

 

Everyone in the world had heard of sobering moments and suddenly Lance found himself in one. Staring at Keith, waiting for his response, pushed all of the haze out of Lance’s brain. Instead of the fog, his brain was filled with an alarm telling him to  _ get out _ before Keith had a chance to kick his ass. But he couldn’t move, he didn’t  _ want _ to move. Not away from Keith, at least. He’d be happy to move closer.

 

“You were dared to kiss me?” Keith was clearly looking over his shoulder at what Lance could only assume was his group of friends. He raised an eyebrow before focusing back on Lance. “That’s why you did it?”

 

There was an undertone of… Lance couldn’t name it. He watched as Keith took a step closer to him, and then another. He glanced down to Keith’s hands to find them empty, no solo cup in sight. Lance looked back up and held his breath as Keith came yet another step closer, their chests brushing.

 

“You didn’t do it because you… wanted to?” Keith’s gaze was fiercely unwavering.

 

Lance swallowed, certain his entire body was on fire. He could feel his soul leaving his body. “What makes you think I want to?”

 

“Well, for starters,” Keith leaned a little closer, dropping his voice so only Lance could hear it. Suddenly this was the most intimate moment of Lance’s life and he forgot the rest of the party existed. He could still feel the bass of the music thumping in his chest with his heart and he just prayed that it would keep him alive if his heart failed. “You keep glancing at my lips.”

 

As if cued, Lance lowered his gaze to Keith’s lips again, cursing himself for being so blatant. For getting caught. “That might be true,” He breathed so quietly he wasn’t sure that Keith heard it. He wanted Keith to hear it, but he also didn’t.

 

“And what if I wanted to kiss you?” Keith prompted, his lips forming a full smirk now.

 

“I’d say you were drunk.”

 

“I’m not,” Keith assured a moment before gripping the collar of Lance’s shirt and pulling him down into a fierce kiss, slipping a hand around his waist and pulling their bodies flush together. 

 

Lance was absolutely certain he had died and gone to heaven but he didn’t care. He threaded his fingers into Keith’s mullet, tugging gently on the strands and marveling at the shaky breath Keith let out against his lips in response. His other hand traveled up and down Keith’s back, feeling his muscles moving under his shirt as he held Lance firm, nipping at his lip. Lance succumbed, leaning all of weight into Keith. Lance could still taste the fruity alcohol and somehow managed to love it even more than before. 

 

Kissing Keith the first time, though accidental, had been great. But kissing him now, with him kissing back, fingers insistent upon his hips, was so much greater. Every nerve ending in Lance’s body was singing as Keith continued to kiss him insistently, like it was something he’d been wanting to do for ages. Lance tugged gently on his hair again and Keith let out a low groan in the back of his throat. Lance never wanted to ever pull away.

 

But he had to. Because he had to breathe. If he didn’t breathe, he’d die. And if he died, he wouldn’t be able to kiss Keith again. 

 

“That was…” Lance wasn’t even sure how to finish that sentence. Wasn’t sure he  _ wanted _ to finish that sentence. He didn’t want anything to end right now.

 

“Just so you know,” Keith’s lips were flushed from kissing, a pink that matched the blush on his cheeks. Lance reached up and ran his knuckles gently along his cheeks, watching as the color darkened below his fingers. “You’re literally welcome to do that any time.”

 

“Really?”

 

Keith laughed and the sound lit a new flame inside Lance’s soul, making him feel alive. “I knew you were oblivious but damn, I didn’t think you were  _ this _ oblivious.”

 

“Hey!” Lance defended, stepping back and crossing his arms.

 

Keith didn’t let go of his hips as he moved, keeping them connected. “Lance, seriously? I went out of my way to trade lab partners so I could have you. I’ve been dropping hints for  _ months _ .”

 

“You have?”

 

With a fond shake of the head, Keith leaned in and gave him another sweet kiss. “Yes. I have. And clearly you have not been picking up on them. But you did kiss me back, so I’m hoping…?”

 

“That I feel the same?” Lance completed for him, smiling and letting his arms drop to his sides. “I do.”

 

He let Keith pull him in to a hug then, trying not to shiver as he planted a kiss on the side of Lance’s neck. They stayed that way for a moment and as they did, the world seemed to expand around Lance again. He became aware of the weight of all the stares on him, but he didn’t care. Because this was the best thing that had ever happened to him. 

 

“So, why don’t you take me back to the people who made this happen so I can thank them?” Keith teased with a smile. “At least  _ someone _ was observant enough to make this happen.”

 

Lance shoved him but immediately reached for him, pulling him back to his side. “Fine. Shay, you should come, too. I know there’s someone over there who’d  _ love _ to have you around.”

 

With a smile, Lance grabbed Keith’s hand, trying not to faint as Keith intertwined their fingers and led them over to the group, trying not to blush as everyone hooted, hollered and clapped as they approached. 


	5. Soul Marks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I have other fics to update, I'm getting there, I promise! Now that November is over (therefore NaNoWriMo is over) and I have settled into my new life, I will be able to write them again. I promise updates are coming soon! I had a lot going on in my life lately (finals, my house was broken into, I moved all the way across the country and I started my first week of clinicals) so most other things fell to the side.
> 
> But! I'm back now and planning on working hard to catch everything back up! I greatly appreciate your love and patience with me as I struggle through this messy thing called life. 
> 
> As always, you can find all of my work on my tumblr along with a lot of other great art and fics that I rb, so if you're ever looking for anything new, that's the place to go! Also, I still have some fluff bingo squares unrequested so feel free to hit me up on there and request one if you want it! Or just chat with me at all, getting a message makes my day every single time!

Not everyone had a soul mate, Lance knew. But he did. At least, his hand indicated such. The palm of his hand and fingers were jet black, as if he had dipped his hand in paint, intending to leave a trail of hand prints behind. When he was younger he loved the mark— a soul mark, as they called it. Now, however, that he was older, he was significantly less fond of it.

 

Supposedly his soulmate had a mark matching his, somewhere on their body. And when their two marks touched, they would cycle through a rainbow of colors. Young Lance used to spend hours fantasizing about what that would look like and how his soulmates face would light up before they shared true love’s kiss. He used to think about how he’d sweep them off their feet and live happily ever after. Older Lance, unfortunately, no longer had those fantasies. Because older Lance had fallen in love with someone who, as far as he could tell, didn’t have a soul mark. No soul mark meant that they weren’t for Lance, no matter how much Lance wanted them to be.

 

He had tried to comfort himself as much as he could, insisting that he would fall in love with his soulmate as soon as he met them, forgetting all about the boy who stole his heart. But the more Lance got to know that boy— the more he stared into those violet eyes or longed to run his fingers through the length of that mullet— the more he found himself wishing he’d never meet his soulmate. Because Keith might be wrong for him in every single way, even the universe could see that, it seemed, but Lance didn’t care. Because he wanted  _ Keith _ and everything that came along with him.

 

He wanted the short temper, the built up walls and the curt answers. He wanted the days where Keith was cutting him with insults as easily as he cut a druid with his bayard. He wanted the days where Keith sulked around or pushed him away. He wanted them all. Because taking those days meant he also got the days where Keith laughed, or smiled at him. He got the days Keith stepped up to the plate, supporting him and encouraging him. It allowed him to have the days where it was no longer Lance and Keith, neck in neck but rather Lance and Keith, side by side, working as an undefeatable team. Taking Keith’s bad days meant getting his good ones, too. And, as far as Lance was concerned, one good day was worth a million bad days. Maybe more. Because even on his worst days, he was still Keith and  _ oh god _ was Lance ever in love with Keith.

 

He remembered the way it had started— a little flutter in his chest whenever Keith would shoot him a pointed or exasperated look, and a slight tremble in his fingertips whenever Keith was close enough for him to touch.  He remembered how quickly it progressed— he went from seeing Keith as a rival to seeking Keith out and wanting his company. And the night he had found himself outside Keith’s door, hand poised to knock, no real reason for being there other than the fact that he felt a sort of hollowness nestled in his chest where his heart was supposed to be, he knew he was done for. He’d tucked his hand back into his pocket and shuffled away as quickly as he could while still attempting to look casual, ignoring the way his heart was thundering erratically in his chest.  _ That _ was the moment he knew he was in love with Keith.

 

He’d paced his room that entire night, wringing his hands together and wondering how he’d gotten himself in such a predicament. From then on, he’d taken every opportunity he could to casually check Keith out and see if he could find a soulmark anywhere on Keith’s body, but he never could. His arms were bare, what he could see of his legs were bare… it appeared to be a lost cause. When Keith had lifted the hem of his shirt after a long few hours of training, using the edge of it to wipe sweat off his forehead, Lance had even managed to scour his stomach and low back. Of course he’d found nothing, but he’d still enjoyed the view so it wasn’t a total loss. 

 

From there, Lance had moved on to trying to casually touch Keith as much as he could. Brushing a hand across his shoulder blade, or bracing one on his leg as he leaned forward to grab something, trying desperately to see if his hand was changing colors after the contact. It never was. The logical side of him knew that he needed to give it up— to accept that Keith wasn’t his soulmate, or anybody else’s, by the look of it— and to try and just move on. But no matter how much logical sense it made, emotionally he wasn’t prepared to let go. So He didn’t. He clung tighter and tighter, knowing full well that someday it was going to break his heart.

 

A knock sounded on the door to his room, startling him out of his reverie. He shook his head, dropping his hand from in front of his face, where he’d been holding it to look at it. “Come in!”

 

The door slid open immediately, but nobody stepped inside. Instead, Pidge leaned forward slightly, just enough to pop her head through the doorway so she could see Lance. “You need to go talk to Keith.”

 

“What?”

 

“He’s down in the hangar and refusing to talk to any of us. We can all tell there’s something wrong but he won’t tell anyone what.” Pidge answered, already starting to lean back out of the doorway.

 

“So why are you calling me to help?” Lance asked, clenching his hand to hide his soul mark. Everyone had seen it, obviously, it was in too blatant of a spot to hide. Still, he didn’t like people looking at it because it made him think about it more, and thinking about it hurt. “He doesn’t want to see me, I’m sure.”

 

Pidge rolled her eyes with a sigh, “Lance, I don’t know how you don’t see it, but you’re the  _ only _ one he talks to or listens to. You have to be the one to get him out of this.”

 

Lance tried to hide the way his heart swelled at her words, willing himself not to get too overwhelmed with emotion. He shrugged slightly at Pidge in lieu of a response and pushed through the doorway past her, heading to the hangar. He  _ wanted _ to be the one Keith talked to and listened to, like she’d said, but he didn’t want to get his hopes up for that. 

 

The doors to the hangar came into view and he paused just outside, taking a moment to take a deep, steadying breath. He closed his eyes as he smacked the button to open the doors, bracing himself. When he heard the doors slide all the way open, he opened his eyes and willed himself not to let his breath be stolen.

 

Keith was, indeed, standing in the hangar, hair  disheveled in a way that looked almost purposeful. He had his jacket discarded on the ground off to the side and his boots tossed nearby. He was standing in just a pair of jeans—  _ jeans—  _ and a t shirt that looked one size smaller than the ones he normally wore. Or perhaps he really  _ had  _ gotten bigger during his time with the blades. Either way, the shirt clung to his body in a way Lance had never seen and he swallowed against a dry throat, trying to stop his eyes from tracing every sharp angle of Keith’s body.

 

In an attempt to ease some of his tension, Lance cleared his throat as he walked into the room. Keith glanced at him over his shoulder as he approached and Lance felt like he was about to be frozen on the spot. The way Keith’s messy hair fell into his face gave him a sort of rugged look that suited him perfectly. He looked like the kind of guy who was rough around the edges but soft for the one he loved and, honestly, that’s exactly how Lance always thought Keith would be. God he regretted that he’d never get to find out. The idea of Keith being soft to and for him was nearly enough to drive Lance insane with jealousy for the person who  _ did _ get to see Keith that way.

 

“Keith, buddy, what’s going on?”

 

“Nothing.” Keith’s reply was quick, but his gaze never faltered from Lance.

 

Lance continued all the way into the room, walking directly up to Keith. Perhaps even a step or two  _ too _ close to Keith, but he certainly wasn’t about to back away. “Buddy, I can feel you moping all the way on the other side of the castle. You can’t tell me nothing’s wrong.”

 

“I am not moping!”

 

Squinting, Lance tilted his head from side to side, inspecting Keith’s face. “Looks like a mope to me.”

 

With a roll of his eyes, Keith turned his back to Lance, crossing his arms over his chest. All it did was pull his shirt tighter across his shoulders and Lance had to close his eyes for a moment to keep his composure. 

 

“Seriously, Keith, just talk to me. I’m supposed to be your right hand man.”

 

“Supposed to be?”

 

“Well yeah. I can’t call myself that if you’re constantly icing me out.” There was a small, teeny tiny, barely there, twinge of bitterness in Lance’s voice. Unfortunately for him, Keith heard it too. He could tell by the way Keith turned around again to face him, his eyebrows drawn together in concern.

 

“Icing you out?” Keith dropped his arms from in front of his chest. “Lance you’re the only one here I talk to.”

 

“Hate to break it to you, buddy. But if this is what you call talking to someone, I’ve got something to tell you.” There was a shadow over Keith’s expression and Lance thought it looked like sadness.

 

He wanted to reach out and touch Keith, to tug Keith into him, wrapping his arms tight around him and just holding him, as if he could fight off all of Keith’s problems. He would if he could. He knew that if he were the one feeling the way Keith seemed to be feeling, that’s the reaction he’d want from Keith. Even though he knew he’d never get it, he thought about it sometimes. About what it’d feel like to be pressed against Keith, wrapped up in his arms. Or to have Keith pressed into him, clutching onto him as if their lives depended on it, face buried in his hair. The trembling was back in his fingers but this time it was from the effort required to hold himself back from reaching for Keith.

 

There was a long pause before Keith finally said, “Do you ever think the universe got it wrong?”

 

_ Yes _ , Lance wanted to say. He could feel the ache of it in his chest.  _ I think that every day when I see you and realize that the universe didn’t make you my soulmate. _ He searched Keith’s face.  _ I think that when I see you upset and realize that I’m not the one who can comfort you _ . 

 

“What do you mean?” He said instead, swallowing down all the words he wanted to say. He’d thought about confessing so many times but he didn’t want it to end like that. He didn’t want it to go down in flames. He wanted it to fizzle out slowly, to let it drag on, burning beneath his skin for as long as possible— a constant reminder of the love he’d lost.

 

“I mean I’m not supposed to be here, like this. I’m not supposed to lead, I’m not supposed to  _ feel _ the way I feel every single day!  _ This _ —” he gestured vaguely to the space between the two of them, “ —isn’t supposed to be like this!”

 

The sort of brokenness that Lance could see in Keith’s eyes knocked down any and all barriers that he’d been restricted by before. He closed the remaining distance between them, reaching up for Keith and settling a hand onto his shoulder. “Keith, I—”

 

But anything he might have been about to say died on his tongue as he felt a slight heat spread across his palm and fingers. He looked down to where his hand rested on Keith’s shoulder. The bottom of his hand just reaching the top of Keith’s chest. He could see Keith follow his gaze, his lips slightly parted in wonder. Slowly Lance lifted his hand off of Keith, flipping it over so they could both see his palm…

 

...his palm that was normally black….

 

...his palm that was now cycling through colors. Red, purple, blue, yellow, on and on, color after color.

 

Without even thinking or hesitating, Lance slipped his fingers under the collar of Keith’s shirt and tugged it to the side, exposing his shoulder. Sure enough, there where Lance had never been able to see, was a hand print, rotating through all of the colors, one after the next. He glanced up to Keith’s face, unable to properly comprehend how he was feeling, only to find Keith staring steadfastly off to the side, his gaze down and cheeks flushed with a deep blush.

 

The moment seemed to stretch on forever in between them, enveloping them in their own little world. Lance glanced between his own rainbow hand and the rainbow hand print on Keith’s shoulder at least a hundred times before he was finally able to choke out, “Keith? I, uh… I think we’ve got something to talk about here.”

 

Finally,  _ finally _ Keith let out a sigh and Lance could feel the tension drop from his shoulders. He still didn’t turn to look at Lance, but he replied, sounding defeated. “Look, I get it if this isn’t what you’ve wanted. I know you, you’ve probably had some fairy tale in your head for your whole life of some beautiful girl you’d sweep off her feet and then you two would—”

 

Lance couldn’t take it. Couldn’t listen to Keith talking like this wasn’t the best thing to ever happen to Lance. He reached up and gently grabbed a hold of Keith’s face, turning it until their gazes locked. Keith stopped talking, clearly trying his best to look composed. The moment Lance got a chance to really look at Keith’s eyes, all the shock disappeared and it was replaced with nothing short of pure elation.

 

“Keith, you idiot. Do you have any idea how hopelessly in love with you I’ve been all this time?”

 

There was a delicious moment where Keith looked too stunned to even reply. He reached a hand up unconsciously, pressing it against Lance’s chest. The contact seemed to ground him and he was able to let out a soft, “W-what?”

 

And just like that, the dam inside Lance broke. He tugged Keith forward gently, leaning down to capture his lips. Keith, surprisingly, responded in kind, his hand fisting in Lance’s shirt. It only lasted a minute, but it was the best minute of Lance’s life. As they pulled away, he guided Keith to him, slipping his arms around Keith’s shoulders and pressing him firmly against his chest. Part of Lance wanted to laugh, part wanted to cry tears of joy and the rest wanted to head to every corner of the galaxy and declare to every person he passed that Keith was  _ his _ . 

 

“I have been devastated for  _ years _ at this point because I thought you had someone else as your soulmate and I  _ desperately _ wished it were me,” He confessed quietly, his mouth right by Keith’s ear. He relished the way he got to feel Keith inhale at his words. “This is genuinely the happiest moment of my life.”

 

“But I’m—”

 

“Everything I’ve wanted and then some,” Lance finished for him, gently threading his fingers into Keith’s hair. He felt the last little bit of worry leave Keith and suddenly Keith was leaning into him, resting his full weight against Lance. Lance accepted it happily, feeling content and whole for the first time in a long time.

 

This was how he’d always wanted it to be and he couldn’t believe that it was actually happening. How often did the universe give someone exactly what they wanted? He was sure it was rare and he swore to never take this blessing for granted. He’d enjoy every single day he had with Keith, good or bad. He would be there for Keith every hour of every day, constantly seeking him out and showing him just how important he was. He’d spent years loving Keith already and he was fully prepared to spend years staying in love with him, choosing him and fighting for him day after day. He would  _ never _ give this up.

 

“For the record,” Keith pulled away from Lance’s chest enough so that he could look into Lance’s eyes as he spoke, ensuring Lance could hear his words, “I’ve been in love with you since the day we had to climb that elevator shaft together.”

 

A level of contentedness Lance didn’t know he could feel bubbled up in his chest as he listened to Keith’s words. A smile overtook his lips and he didn’t even try to fight it. And as he leaned in to kiss Keith again, he settled his hand comfortably on Keith’s shoulder, feeling the warmth against his palm. He let the warmth spread up his arm and to the rest of his body, settling into the very depths of his soul, knowing that he was the luckiest man in the universe and that, no matter what happened, he’d always be happy with Keith by his side. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys enjoyed!
> 
> find me on tumblr [here](https://inkspottedandbrokenhearted.tumblr.com/) if you have any thoughts/comments/questions/etc or want to tell me about your life or request your own fluff bingo piece! I'll be thrilled to hear from you no matter what, I promise! <3
> 
> (ps yes I used to be lookingglassheart1207 and now I'm inkspottedandbrokenhearted just to clear up any confusion!)


	6. Don't Ever Do That Again

For the last half an hour, Keith had been staring out the same window, waiting for the moment he saw the Red Lion. Earlier in the evening, Pidge had pulled up a report that there was a Galra ship nearby but Keith had ordered it to be left alone. As far as he could tell, it wasn’t causing any harm and it had no idea they were there. Pidge had monitored it for a few hours, confirming that it wasn’t even moving and there seemed to be no other ships coming to or leaving from it. With too many other things on their plates, Keith would be able to sleep at night knowing they hadn’t checked it out. He’d thought that was that until a little later when he’d heard the buzzer indicating that the hangar doors had been opened. By the time he got there, the Red Lion was already gone.

Finally, the Red Lion appeared out in the distance, growing larger with every passing moment. Keith watched it, hands clenched into fists at his side, until it was closer. Once it was close enough to be landing any moment, he took off out of the room, heading towards the hangar. He was fuming. Beyond fuming, honestly, but he didn’t have a word for it. He stormed down the hallway, slamming his feet into the ground with every step. He could feel the impact rattle his whole body but he didn’t even care. The anger fueled him, pushing him down that hallway and around the corner until he was practically crashing through the door of the hangar and sprinting across the room to Lance who was hopping down from Red.

“What on earth did you think you were doing?” Keith demanded from halfway across the room.

Lance, clearly expecting this reaction, tried to diffuse the tension. “Well nothing, because we’re not on earth.”

Keith halted abruptly in front of Lance, slamming a finger into his chest. “Don’t you _ever_ do that again.”

“Do what?” Lance challenged, straightening his spine. “Save the universe?”

“ _Alone_.” Keith emphasized. “Aren’t you the one always going on and on about being part of a team and never doing things on your own?”

“Oh, so you _do_ listen to me.”

“Lance.” It was more exasperated than frustrated and Keith withdrew his hand from Lance’s chest, running it through his hair instead. He noted the way Lance’s eyes followed the movement, the way he seemed to swallow thickly in response.

“You’re just mad I disobeyed orders.” Lance tried, seeming to force himself to draw his eyes away from Keith’s hair.

“No,” Keith said, clasping his hands together behind his neck in an attempt to keep composed. “I’m mad that you risked your life like that.”

“Well you weren’t going to let me go.”

Keith let out a frustrated sigh. “I would’ve gone _with_ you, Lance. I can only have your back if you let me.”

A moment of silence passed between them, before Lance let out a breath, sounding more frustrated than anything. “I’m sorry, okay? It’s already over with though, so—”

“Lance—”

“—If there’s nothing else you want from me, I’m just gonna—” Lance gestured vaguely towards the door.

Keith took in a long breath, holding it for a few seconds before exhaling. He needed to get his temper under control and he knew it. But the idea of Lance risking his life like that— the thought that he could lose Lance and not even get a chance to tell him all the things he had to say— made Keith want to punch a hole straight through the ship wall. More than that, it made him want to go on his own crazy solo rampage, blowing up anything and everything in his path.

“You wanna talk about what I want from you?” Keith remarked, leaning slightly to his left to catch Lance’s eye again. “I _want_ you to stop risking your life. I _want_ to know you’re safe, here, on the ship, waiting for me. You know what? No, I don’t want that. I _need_ it.”

They stared at each other for a long moment and Keith was able to see the exact second Lance deflated, letting go of his attitude. He watched Lance’s shoulders sag, as if he were collapsing in on himself. Keith’s heart ached as he watched, realizing for the first time that there might have been some hidden reason for Lance’s reckless actions.

“You’re being dramatic.” Lance said after a moment.

Keith looked at him then— really looked at him. He looked at Lance’s eyes and the bags that were underneath, indicating many, many nights of lost sleep. He looked at Lance’s paladin armor, noting the way it didn’t seem to fit him as snugly as it used to. He was suddenly overwhelmed with the desire to tuck Lance away, to keep him safe and warm, giving him the break he so clearly needed.

“No, I’m not.” He said gently, surprised at the tenderness in his own voice. “I’m completely serious.”

Lance took a step forward, brushing Keith off and bumping shoulders with him as he did so. Keith spun immediately, reaching out and grabbing Lance’s arm. He held firmly, stumbling a step forward but not letting go when Lance yanked roughly in an attempt to free his arm. Keith couldn’t name the emotion overwhelming him, couldn’t name the emotion that was clear on Lance’s face as he spun around to square off. All he knew is that the very core of his being, all the way to the deepest depths of his heart, was telling him that he absolutely was _not_ to let to of Lance.

“What do you _care_ , Keith?” Surprised by the outburst, Keith took a step closer. He was ready to respond, but Lance wasn’t done. His voice was jagged, as if each word cut him as he spoke it. They certainly cut straight to Keith’s heart. “What about what _I_ want, huh? What I need? Do you ever stop to think about that?”

“What _do_ you want, then? What do you need?” Keith tried his best to keep his words level, to fight against the bite that wanted to sneak in there. He knew getting upset would only worsen the situation but the anger was still boiling under his skin, bubbling away in his blood, making his entire body feel hot.

“Just forget it.” Lance said and Keith was so surprised by being shut down that he slackened his grip. Lance took advantage of it, immediately ripping his arm out of Keith’s grasp and stalking out into the hallway.

Each step Lance took away from Keith hurt as if Lance were stomping on Keith’s heart. The doors slid open and Lance was halfway through them before Keith was able to snap out of his shock and chase after him. He could feel Lance’s growing distance echoed inside of him with a spreading emptiness. It hurt, as if his own soul were being ripped out from inside of him, to watch Lance walk away from him like that. The whole point was that he _didn’t_ want to lose Lance and somehow he had managed to push Lance away.

“Just listen, then, if you don’t want to talk.” Keith called down the hallway as he followed Lance through the doors.

Almost to the end of the hallway, Lance paused. He didn’t turn around to face Keith, but he didn’t continue away from Keith either which was all Keith could ask for. Keith took a moment to close the distance between them, coming up until he was just a few steps behind Lance. He wanted to reach out and touch Lance, to comfortingly run a hand along his back, but it was clear that Lance wouldn’t be welcoming to such contact. Instead, he jammed his shoulder into the wall, leaning into it and diving in.

“I know I’m the leader and it’s my job to care about the whole team,” He began, his voice steadier than he expected it to be given that his knees were quivering, feeling like they were a moment from buckling. “But that is nowhere near the only reason I care about you, okay? I care about you because— because your smile lights up my world, Lance. Because you brighten my day. I know I can handle anything as long as I have you by my side and I _always_ have you by my side. You’re loyal, you’re brave, you’re clever and formidable. But at the same time, you’re gentle, and understanding. You reach out for me when nobody else does and _god_ , Lance, if you think any part of me is willing to give that up, you are sorely mistaken.”

Lance’s head was down and Keith could see the way his shoulders were rising and falling raggedly, could see the heaving breaths he was taking in. “Do you… mean that?”

“I’ve literally never meant anything more in my life,” Keith replied.

He didn’t have time to prepare before Lance was spinning around and running to him. Lance crashed into him, his face finding the crook of Keith’s neck and his arms wrapping tightly around Keith. Startled, but not unpleasantly so, Keith wrapped his arms back around Lance, finally giving in and allowing himself to trail a hand gently up and down Lance’s back. Even with his armor on, Keith knew he could feel the comforting motion.

“I didn’t think— I just—” Lance took a shuddering breath, one Keith could feel against his chest. His heart cracked open at the sensation. “I wanted you to notice me.”

“Lance,” Keith pulled away slightly to meet his gaze. “I never _stop_ noticing you.”

And maybe it wasn’t exactly a love confession, but it was as close as Keith thought he could come right now. He couldn’t bear to say the words, couldn’t bear to put it out in the open for fear of Lance rejecting him, but he could at least hint at it. And just like usual, Lance seemed to read between the lines— to see down to the deep corners of Keith’s heart and know what was written there. A smile broke out on his face a moment before he leaned up to catch Keith in a kiss. Instinctively, Keith pressed his hand firmly against Lance’s back, pulling their chests flush together.

After a moment they separated, Lance looking up at Keith with dazzling blue eyes. “Don’t _ever_ stop noticing me,” He breathed after a moment.

“I won’t,” Keith confirmed, a hand settling onto Lance’s cheek. “As long as you don’t _ever_ do that again.”

“Not without you. I don’t ever want to do anything without you.” Lance murmured.

“Then don’t.”

“Okay,” Lance said, leaning into another kiss. And even though Keith was furious with Lance for what he’d done, he could feel it melting all away into the sweetness that was Lance’s lips against his, the firmness of their chests flush together and the erratic beating of his heart that indicated that Lance was, finally, _his_.

**Author's Note:**

> As always, feel free to find me on [tumblr](http://inkspottedandbrokenhearted.tumblr.com) and tell me what you thought/scream at me about anything!!


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